Journey of the Samurai
by Andorus
Summary: Written for an AP English assignment a couple of years ago; it's a prologue in the style of the Canterbury Tales prologue, with the YST/Ma Sho/Kayura as the main characters.


Rating: G 

Disclaimer: Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden: Samurai Troopers are copyright © Saban/Graz/Sunrise and therefore don't belong to me. And if I didn't get Chaucer's style right, oh well, tough. :oP 

Author's Notes: This is based on the Prologue from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (the actual prologue introduces all the characters, and sets up a plot for them to have a story-telling contest to pass the time while they travel); it was for an AP English paper I wrote a few years back. I also had to twist some personalities so I could make this a microcosm, as the assignment called for--the main change was Seiji's shyness to Sage's stuck-up/vainness. 

Thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you. :o) 

* * * * *

A giant gate meets a small, solemn group,  
Its twin doors swinging open with a swoop.  
The members of the all-male group of nine,  
Each call their _yoroi_ up and stand behind  
Their leader, Ryo, _yoroi_ fire and red,  
Who puts his fears behind and stares ahead  
Into the void. He lifts his chin to dare  
Evilness to think to challenge them there.  
He likes to fight and feel the _yoroi's_ power  
Surge through him during each and ev'ry hour  
Of battle that he sees. He shows no fear  
Though inside he knows danger's always near.  
But the most dangerous power he possesses  
Is temper, burning, destroying all distresses.  
Behind him stands Touma, the smartest of all,  
Whose _yoroi's_ dark blue, with air elemental.  
Silently and coldly he does regard  
The area before them, each hazard  
Included. Youngest he is of the men  
But more mature and more serious than  
The rest. Beside him stands older Seiji,  
Running a hand through his mop of thickly  
Puffed hair. The boy wears _yoroi_ green, that of  
Light, which he must need to take care of  
Them. His eyes and hair are always main  
Obsessions in his life; yes, he is vain.  
Behind him patiently waits oldest Shin,  
The peacetime leader of the warriors, in  
His _yoroi_ of light blue, and water as  
His element. He calmly waits to pass.  
If arguments ensue he does step in  
And mediates every confrontation.  
He's charming, the epitome of the word,  
And pleasant; you'd be certainly called absurd  
To not like Shin. Exhaling a deep sigh,  
He prays that no conflicts will erupt by  
Their presence; he knows they're not wanted there.  
He prays that they will be safe everywhere.  
His best friend stands by him; his name is Shuu.  
He always needs some activity to do.  
The merest mention of food sets him off.  
Food is his love; he constantly does prof-  
Fess his need and want for something to eat.  
Shuu can be hasty and not very neat,  
Especially if food or battle wait  
For him. He asks for food when he just ate  
And charges headlong into battles, no  
Worries in his mind; he may shout, "Let's go!"  
Just as he does now; impatient's his state,  
Fidgeting and staring at the Gate  
Before them. His _yoroi_ is orange and  
Puts power of the earth in his own hand.  
Uncertainly standing some length behind  
Is Sh'ten, quietly, in _yoroi_ once-unkind  
Of many shades, wielding power to kill  
People during his darker time; evil  
Has stopped flowing through his veins. When he was  
Younger he wanted to rule the world plus  
The Heavens. His ego turned him to dark  
But no more; he has undergone a stark  
Recovery from bad to good and from  
Overconfident to a little un-  
Certain of himself. By him stands Anubis,  
With brown and black _yoroi;_ he had led darkness  
During dark times. Now he turns the dark on  
Evil, making it flee where it was spawned.  
Seiji, warrior of light, was his worst  
Enemy; that is all behind him. First  
In his mind now is the tricky journey  
Awaiting them all. Though he does not possess  
Much genius, he knows dangerousness  
Of darkness lies before them, and to some  
Extent he fears the mandatory come-  
Back to his old home of evil and blight.  
Rajura, guardian of tricky sleight  
Of hand and deception, stands next in line.  
His _yoroi,_ pink and brown, protects his spine  
From sneaky attacks on him. Shuu had been  
His arch-enemy when he would go spin  
Spiderlike web-traps for his enemies  
To confuse and make them fight as they please  
Among themselves. Now he calms troubled minds  
With his mind-powers. He no longer blinds  
Good from truth. His mind is now calm and pure  
And he aids the side of good with newer  
Resolve than ever before. Similar  
To Anubis, he wishes that he were  
Not on this trip; he has an obligation  
To them all and himself in his station,  
His position in the group. Finally,  
The poisonous Naaza stands far and free  
Of the others; that is fine with them, for  
They are not sure which side he honors more.  
He is a bit mad; his eyes have that vacant  
Feel to them, and he has not really bent   
In one direction. His _yoroi_ is green  
And red; he commanded poison not seen  
Before on the face of our planet. Some  
Seems to have entered his brain: ruins. From  
The looks of it, he has no real clue where  
He is and what he is doing there.   
His evil poison used to blind and maim;  
If he were so inclined, he'd keep up the same  
Clean bill of health so many prosper from  
In the wounded and sick. Now, no one com-  
Prehends his mind or even tries to; he  
Is too far-gone to attempt successfully.  
At the front of the group, Ryo stands straight  
And motions for them to follow his gait  
Through the waiting doors and whatever may  
Lay lurking in wait for them when they  
Cross on into the evil Dynasty.  
One by one, they go: Ryo, Touma, Seiji,  
Shin, Shuu, Sh'ten, Anubis, Rajura, and  
Finally Naaza. When they crossed, the band  
Turned at the sound of the doors swinging closed,  
Crashing with many resounding echoes.  
"Samurai Troopers!" a female voice called   
And made them turn around, seeing a walled  
Tunnel before them and a young lady  
Waiting, in traditional robes so dainty.  
"Kayura?" all exclaimed at once, surprised  
At seeing her there, right before their eyes.  
She smiled. "Yes, it is I. Thanks to the  
Warlords-Rajura, and Shutendouji,  
And Anubis and Naaza as well, for  
Calling you all to the Dynasty Door.  
The time has come for a sojourn into  
The Dynasty, to pay our respects to  
Those that fell during the horrible war  
So long ago that you all fought in, for  
The good side. I am to be your guide  
Through the Dynasty. Please enjoy the ride."  
She motioned to the tunnel behind her.  
It looked endless, stretching on forever.  
"We have a long journey ahead of us,  
So we had better start. Come this way--just  
Don't look back or you will be banished from  
This safe passage to the Palace. Come, come,  
Let's get started." She started to walk and  
Fell into step did the others of the band  
Behind her and down the long passageway.  
"Do we have to walk the whole way?" in dismay  
Shuu moaned. "I need food to help put away  
The stomach ache I'm having." Everyone  
Rolled their eyes, hoping he'd stop whining on.  
"Shuu, you just ate," Shin scolded with a grin.  
"Right before we left you had-what, nine, ten  
Hamburgers? That should hold you over for  
Quite some time." "Please don't complain; I abhor  
Whiners," added Seiji. "All that hot air  
You are letting out might mess up my hair."  
"Come on, stop bickering," Ryo cut in.  
"Can't we do something to make the time thin?"  
"Does anybody have a chess board? We  
Could play a game," Touma said with some glee.  
"I'd rather not, thanks," Anubis replied,  
Annoyed. "Wait, I have an idea," tried  
Kayura. "We could all tell stories on  
Our past. The time would not seem quite so long  
That way." Generally affirmation  
Ensued, but from Naaza, degradation  
Was heard. "That's stupid," he rudely bemoaned.  
"Let's play a game with poisons-or go home."  
Everybody tuned him out. "We can have  
A contest," Sh'ten suggested. "But who will  
Be the judge of our not run-of-the-mill  
Stories? And what will be the winner's reward?  
More than air is what he is looking for."  
After a moment of deliberating  
Kayura raised her hand. "I'll be the judge,  
And you can all tell your stories. Oh, fudge,  
What to give out as a prize?" She then grinned,  
And reached inside her bag, all peeking in.  
Yet still were they astonished at the sight  
Of gold in a sphere perfect; all the light  
Had seemed to mingle in that one place.  
The gold reflected warmly off her face.  
"Yoroi sphere this was carefully made as;  
The winner's kanji here engraved shall pass.  
Who wants to start the contest off? Or rather,  
Whoever wants; I won't choose -doesn't matter  
To me." Silence ensued as all the group  
Members thought about what to tell the troupe.  
Unexpectedly, Naaza volunteered.  
"I'll tell a story first," he said. "Hear, hear!"  
The others exchanged surprised, scared glances,  
Not wanting to hear the loon's advances  
In his field of poison. Kayura said,  
"I'm all ears. When you're ready, go ahead."  



End file.
